Firefighters are big, brawny, beef-cakey guys. Aren't they?
Well, no, not in this case. Cassie didn't start out to be a firefighter. In fact, she planned to be the Tooth Fairy when she grew up. Then, on Cassie's sixteenth birthday, her mother Diana left Cassie and her dad for another man. Later that evening? Another catastrophic event for Cassie. The birthday cake and presents remained, untouched, on the table for a long time before they were swept into the trash. If only Cassie had remained untouched.
Instead Cassie shut herself off from almost all human connection. She continued to live with her father, who taught her how to play a fierce game of basketball but not how to heal her heart and soul. So, when Cassie joined the fire service, she had no life outside her job. She wrapped herself in a hard protective shell and became one heck of a firefighter and paramedic because her job was her sole focus in life.
Cassie especially worked to avoid contact with her mother. One day, however, she failed to avoid a call from her mother and was caught in an impossibly unforeseeable situation. Diana called to ask Cassie to give up her beloved job in Texas and come to live with her in Massachusetts, "just for a year". Diana had developed an eye condition that caused the loss of vision in one eye. She was having trouble adjusting to the change and needed some help staying safe until she could learn new mobility skills.
Cassie adamantly refused the request, despite Diana's promise that she only asked for a year. Cassie's father, the deserted husband, weighed in, telling Cassie she had to go and eventually Cassie's sense of right and wrong told her the same thing.
Reluctantly Cassie resigned her position in Texas, all the while worrying about how she would ever get back on her chosen career path. She was wise to be concerned because the transition into a small, very old-school fire station in Boston was anything but easy.
This was a great read. Cassie was a strong, funny, but also sad, central character. Throughout the book were many lessons on love, forgiveness, proving oneself, and the need for connection with others. The book also provided a good deal of insight into the life of a firefighter.
Katherine Center is a new author to me but I plan to read other books she has written.
On sale 08-13-19. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy and provide my opinion.
Well, no, not in this case. Cassie didn't start out to be a firefighter. In fact, she planned to be the Tooth Fairy when she grew up. Then, on Cassie's sixteenth birthday, her mother Diana left Cassie and her dad for another man. Later that evening? Another catastrophic event for Cassie. The birthday cake and presents remained, untouched, on the table for a long time before they were swept into the trash. If only Cassie had remained untouched.
Instead Cassie shut herself off from almost all human connection. She continued to live with her father, who taught her how to play a fierce game of basketball but not how to heal her heart and soul. So, when Cassie joined the fire service, she had no life outside her job. She wrapped herself in a hard protective shell and became one heck of a firefighter and paramedic because her job was her sole focus in life.
Cassie especially worked to avoid contact with her mother. One day, however, she failed to avoid a call from her mother and was caught in an impossibly unforeseeable situation. Diana called to ask Cassie to give up her beloved job in Texas and come to live with her in Massachusetts, "just for a year". Diana had developed an eye condition that caused the loss of vision in one eye. She was having trouble adjusting to the change and needed some help staying safe until she could learn new mobility skills.
Cassie adamantly refused the request, despite Diana's promise that she only asked for a year. Cassie's father, the deserted husband, weighed in, telling Cassie she had to go and eventually Cassie's sense of right and wrong told her the same thing.
Reluctantly Cassie resigned her position in Texas, all the while worrying about how she would ever get back on her chosen career path. She was wise to be concerned because the transition into a small, very old-school fire station in Boston was anything but easy.
This was a great read. Cassie was a strong, funny, but also sad, central character. Throughout the book were many lessons on love, forgiveness, proving oneself, and the need for connection with others. The book also provided a good deal of insight into the life of a firefighter.
Katherine Center is a new author to me but I plan to read other books she has written.
On sale 08-13-19. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy and provide my opinion.
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